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Hartford: Appeal in Skakel Case

Lawyers for Michael C. Skakel, convicted of murder for killing a teenage neighbor in 1975, have filed a petition in federal court seeking a new trial. The petition comes less than two weeks after Mr. Skakel, 47, was denied a new trial in state court on his claim that new evidence had been discovered. The petition, known as a writ of habeas corpus, claims that Mr. Skakel is being held unlawfully. Mr. Skakel, a cousin of the Kennedys by marriage, was convicted in June 2002 of killing his neighbor, Martha Moxley, when they were 15 and living in Greenwich. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.